EU Wins Poland Logging Ban as Fight Over Rule of Law Evolves
- Top EU court says Poland must stop logging in primeval forest
- EU urges concrete results to resolve spat over judicial revamp
Logging in the Bialowieza forest
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The European Union won a court battle against Poland over logging in one of the continent’s last primeval forests, underscoring their strained relations as they seek to resolve a wider conflict over democratic values.
The European Court of Justice sided with the EU’s executive on Tuesday by ruling that Poland’s move to cut down in 2017 parts of the Bialowieza forest, home to the European bison as well as numerous bird species, breached environmental rules. Poland risks a fine of at least 4.3 million euros ($5.3 million) if it doesn’t reverse decisions on logging.